RNZAF European Squadron aircraft

[Dave Homewood]

A bit of fun - Of the various types that served with RAF Squadrons in Europe/Africa, here in NZ today we have representative types of the Lancaster, Spitfire, Catalina, Ventura, Hurricane, Mosquito and Sunderland.

If you could import one other type (even if it has to be pulled out of a Norwegian lake, or Russian tundra, etc) to represent on public display here one of the other types NZ used, what would you want? You can fly it too if you want, not just static.

Choices are:
Typhoon
Tempest
Wellington
Stirling
Beaufighter
Beaufort
Blenheim (hopefully coming soon)
Hampden
Buffalo

Or, would you choose a new on of one of those already here (ie another Hurricane, or a Ventura Mk I like 487's version, etc?)

[Dave Homewood]

I think I'd choose the Wellington, as it was so important and was in action with Kiwis in the RAF from day one of the war. It formed the first NZ Squadron in the RAF too. And it saw some amazing actions with Kiwis, such as Jimmy Ward's VC.

What would you choose?

[corsair67]

The inner youth says Typhoon, but the inner adult says Stirling. Can I be greedy and have both? :-)

The Stirling interests me because they've copped so much flak (pun intended!) over the years because of their low top speed and poor service ceiling.

I'd just love to see one in flight, and it'd make a great memorial to all the poor buggers who had to climb into these beasts every night and go out and be shot at.

Lest we forget.

[flyjoe180]

Defintely a Tempest! No.486 Squadron 'Beware of the Wild Winds'

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Royal_New_Zealand_Air_Force_squadrons



www.hawkertempest.se/index.htm

[phil82]

The ill-fated Stirling suffered from the specification which determined it had to fit inside existing hangars, and consequently had a wing incapable of developing the lift required to get it to altutude and suffered accordingly.

[Dave Homewood]

Talk to almost any Stirling pilot and they were a hell of a lot better aircraft than today's armchair enthusiasts have been lead to believe thanks to bad publicity in poorly researched books. They were tough and manouvreable and damned good bombers. Sure, they had their foibles, but they were not the dog that some authors (who were obviously Lancaster-biased) have made out.

There is a genuine RNZAF Tempest in Kermit Weeks' collection. It would have been nice to see at Wanaka, eh.

[Calum]

Beaufighter........

[smithy]

I'm with Joe, the big, brutish, beautiful Tempest

[AJ]

I'd choose a Buffalo, always had a soft spot for 'em.